Stardew Valley Android First Impressions

Holla Dice Rollers and Button Mashers, Stardew Valley finally dropped on the Google Play Store earlier today and we are stoked! We’re taking the game for a full spin but so far here are our first impressions.

Same old, Same old!

Let’s begin with character creation. Those who are already familiar with the game will be greeted by, quite frankly, the same creation options and interface we have with the PC and Console versions.

We have options for gender, hairstyle, skin color, hair color, eye color, pants color, accessories, pet, and t-shirt style. The hair, eye, and pants colors still have the RGB sliders, so that’s nice. Pretty much our standard Stardew Valley character creation, nothing more and nothing less.

Alright, next up is probably one of the biggest questions regarding this port — “how are the controls?”. Well, to be frank, we’re loving every bit of it, it’s way better and more convenient than on PC or console (We, know sounds bonkers right? since when were mobile controls better than in PC and console?!).

Before we get into the specifics though, let’s have a little rundown of the options. Stardew Valley Mobile has quite a lot of control variations, which you can easily toggle via the controller menu:

That’s a lot of options!

Tap-to-move & Auto-Attack

Tap-to-move & Attack Joystick

Invisible Joystick & 2 Buttons

Invisible Joystick & 1 Button

Tap-to-move & Joystick & Buttons (our personal favorite)

Tap-to-move & (Joystick & Buttons) (weapons)

Tap-to-move & Joystick & (Buttons) (weapons)

Tap-to-move & Joystick

We’ve tried experimenting with the various control options but what we found best suited for us was the “Tap-to-move & Joystick & Buttons”. We just prefer having a visible joystick and buttons, you know, as backup.

In any case, tap-to-move is still there and we can easily remove the joystick and buttons with the toggle game controller option, this one is available for every control scheme (which you can enable via the video above).

Right, now what made us say that the controls on mobile are more convenient than on PC and console? Well, chopping wood, breaking rocks, picking up items, slicing grass/weeds, and placing seeds are just a single tap away. That’s right, we no longer have to swap between our tools to do specific actions. The game automatically uses the appropriate tool for whatever you’re currently tapping.

Although, that’s not always the case. For instance, you will still have to tap & equip your hoe if you wish to plow land and your watering can if you wish to water plants. It’s also a little different for boulders and trees as you have to tap & hold until they break as opposed to just single tapping. Still, we find performing actions way easier and a lot faster this way.

Movement takes some time to get used to, if you won’t be using any of the Joystick options. It does feel kind of weird continuously tapping on map areas and sometimes auto pathing sucks. You can, however, slide your fingers to control your character’s movement direction (again, if you aren’t using any of the joystick options).

It works just like a joystick, though you’re going to have to swipe from the left or right of your device, so it’s still quite a hassle. In any case, we’re still quite happy with how the controls were implemented.

One very welcome feature is the pinch to zoom option. It allows for a greater view of your surroundings and actually sharpens the graphics of the game.

Alright, graphics and audio-wise this is pretty much Stardew Valley to the core. Nothing was changed in these aspects, we’re still getting the colorful pixel art style we have with the PC and console versions and the sound effects we’re all familiar with are still there. Even the background music we all know and love are here. So there’ll never be a dull musical moment during gameplay.

Stardew Valley mobile is shaping up to be quite an impressive port. We have a lot of control options and most of it are truly convenient, even more than its PC and console counterparts. Most of the lovable tidbits of the game have been well ported such as its graphical art style and sounds. We also got a neat new feature in the form of “pinch to zoom”.

If there is one thing it’s lacking, its multiplayer support. Although, ConcernedApe has already promised it will follow soon enough. When it does, then Stardew Valley mobile will truly be a delightful small screen farming experience.

If you wish to get a copy of the game you can purchase and download it via the links below: